The story of Yaman

Which is the most advanced technology? If your first answer that comes to mind is ‘’machines’’, you have lost! It is human nature, the feelings and the stories that the body feels in its own cells. When two different kinds of technology are combined (human nature’s technology and digital technology), the result is an innovative European program: Digital Welcome.

A multi-supportive experience: Digital Welcome program and Yaman’s story

Yaman is a 27-year-old refugee from Syria, who came to Athens last year. The first months were extremely difficult for me since he didn’t have a house, friends or any supportive system.

After attending the Digital Welcome program, he wrote a letter to his Greek trainer, quoted below.

‘’Dear A.,

thank you very much for these valuable sessions of Digital Welcome workshops. They helped me recover during this difficult time I am going through.

I have learned a lot from you, to accept myself and to deal with my fears and worries as natural feelings any human being could feel. Such as those that I felt when I had to get ready for the interviews, the public speeches or any other important moment in my life.

In the context of my situation here in this country, being alone and a new member in this society, I have learned different things about the new culture, the traditions and how people think and deal with issues and in different circumstances. The experience that I gained helped me to get involved more easily with people here, after I understood their mentality and that of this society as a whole.

I really appreciate every moment we spent, during our sessions. It really helped me not only because I learned a lot from you, but also because I found consolation when I talked to you as a close friend of mine, through the training and the creation of the digital story of my journey.’’

This is the story of Yaman. A positive one, we would say. We hope that the Digital Welcome Project will help other people like Yaman to feel less lonely and more integrated in our society. After all, this is the reason why they moved from their countries in the first place, right? To find a better place and a better future for themselves.